Pakistan boys to face Sri Lanka in Table Tennis finals

KARACHI: Pakistan set up title clash with Sri Lanka in both cadet boys and junior boys team events of the South Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships which commenced here at the Toyota Gymnasium of the Habib Public School on Friday.

Both the teams remained undefeated in the competitions which are being held on single league basis.

In junior boys team event Pakistan defeated Nepal 3-2. They then ousted minnows Maldives 3-0.

In the cadet boys’ team event, a three-team affair because Maldives did not bring their team, Pakistan overpowered Nepal 3-0.

In the junior boys’ team event, top seeds Sri Lanka crushed Nepal and Maldives with identical 3-0 scores.

In the cadet boys’ team event Sri Lanka whipped Nepal 3-0.

The title matches of both cadet boys and junior boys will be held between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Saturday (today).

Federal minister for inter-provincial coordination (IPC) Riaz Pirzada is expected to witness the finals.

The gold medallists in both these events will qualify for the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships to be hosted by Thailand in Bangkok in September.

India will directly qualify for the Thailand event despite missing the Karachi affair. They were denied Pakistani visas on Thursday.

Pakistani girls performed very poorly on the first day in both cadet girls and junior girls team events.

In junior girls competitions Pakistan lost to Nepal 0-3 and the Maldives 2-3.

In the cadet girls fixture Pakistan went 2-3 down to Nepal.

Pakistan’s senior coach Arif Khan said that the hosts’ junior and cadet boys looked good. “They played well. Ummam Khwaja and Faizan Zahoor can become solid players. They have the talent,” Arif told ‘The News’ at the end of the first day contests, which were inaugurated by Sindh finance minister Murad Ali Shah. The singles events begin on Saturday (today).

Pakistan teams’ results:

Junior boys: Pakistan bt Nepal (3-2): Obaid Shah bt Subodh Limbu (3-1) 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 14-12, Abid Iqbal lost to Narayan Ghimire (1-3) 10-12, 13-11, 5-11, 6-11, Mustafa Ali bt Bipul Maharjan (3-0) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9, Obaid Shah lost to Narayan Ghimire (2-3) 11-9, 3-11, 14-12, 7-11, 10-12, Abid Iqbal bt Subodh Limbu (3-1) 11-9, 13-11, 6-11, 14-12.

Pakistan bt Maldives (3-0): Obaid Shah bt Shaffan Ismail (3-0) 11-8, 11-4, 11-8, Fahad Khawaja bt Shafeeq Nibraas (3-0) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6, Mustafa Ali bt Mohammad Ahmed Zaidhaan (3-0) 11-7, 11-5, 11-5.

Junior girls team events: Nepal bt Pakistan (3-0): Sikka Surwal Shrestha bt Kainat (3-1) 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-9, Sonu Thapa Magar bt Hareem Anwar (3-0) 11-4, 11-9, 11-9, Lasta Maharjan bt Nimra Rehman (3-1) 11-8, 11-8, 12-14, 11-8.

Maldives bt Pakistan (3-2): Ismail Laisn Fathulla bt Kainat (3-0) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5, Nazim Aishath Rafa bt Hareem Anwar (3-0) 11-5, 11-2, 11-8, Mauz Aminath Malysha lost to Iqra Rehman (0-3) 6-11, 13-15, 8-11, Nazim Aishath Rafa lost to Kainat (2-3) 3-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 10-12, Ismail Laisn Fathulla bt Hareem Anwar (3-0) 11-3, 11-3, 11-4.

Cadet boys team events: Pakistan bt Nepal (3-0): Faizan Zahoor bt Sanyog Kapali (3-0) 11-9, 11-7, 14-12, Ummam Khawaja bt Ritiz Joshi (3-1) 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7, Faizan and Ummam bt Sanyog and Ritiz (3-0) 11-5, 11-6, 11-2.

Cadet girls team events: Nepal bt Pakistan (3-2): Anju Suwal lost to Fatima Khan (1-3) 11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 4-11, Diksha Dahal bt Maheen Shiraz (3-0) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, Diksha and Anju bt Fatima and Maheen (3-2) 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 15-13, Diksha Dahal lost to Fatima khan (2-3) 9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, Anju Suwal bt Maheen Shiraz (3-1) 11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6.